Karen Barnaby offers delicious low-carb holiday treats that are easy on the waistline.

Fish House Executive Chef Karen Barnaby can look a sugar-laden truffle straight in the eye without blinking -- or biting. She can heft a loaf of fresh gourmet bread without wanting to tear off a hunk. And she can spend all day around pasta, potatoes and other high-carb foods without craving a single morsel.

Barnaby has been a low-carb eater for four years now, losing 70 pounds in the process. She says she "feels better than I did in my 30s!"

The veteran low-carber has this advice for those who find themselves losing resistance to a sugary holiday treat: "Play the tape all the way through . . . It won't be just one. You'll feel awful. You'll beat yourself up about it. You'll wake up in January and wonder, how did this happen?"

Another way to get over the holiday hurdle is to indulge in a few low-carb sweets. Barnaby uses plain whey protein isolate (found at health-food and sport-nutrition stores), ground almonds (most bulk-food sections carry them), oat flour (grind rolled oats -- not instant -- in a processor or coffee grinder) and the sugar substitutes Splenda (sucralose) and Sugar Twin (cyclamates) to replace high-carb flour and sugar in the following recipes. Use both types of sweeteners, she says, because they work "synergistically" to require less total sweetener than if just one of them is used. Use the "measures like sugar" kinds.

To make the crust, combine the almond meal, cocoa, sweeteners and salt. Add the melted butter and work it in with your fingertips. Whisk egg white until foamy (about one minute) and mix it into the almond mixture. Press into a 9 x 9-inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool completely.

To make filling, in a small frying pan, heat the butter over medium heat until it starts to turn a rich, golden brown. Remove from the heat.

Combine the whey protein, sweetener and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the whipping cream to the whey protein mixture. Blend until smooth. Add the almond butter and blend again until smooth. Add the butter and blend until smooth once more. Add the pecans and pulse once or twice, only to combine. Pour over the top of the crust and spread out smoothly.

For the topping, bring the whipping cream and sweeteners to a boil. Add the chocolate and remove from the heat. Stir until smooth. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Spread evenly over the caramel topping and refrigerate until firm. Cut into 32 squares and keep refrigerated.

Makes 32 pieces; 1.8g carbohydrate each.

MAPLE WALNUT SANDIES

Leave out the walnuts and maple extract for a plain almond shortbread-type cookie with 2g carbohydrates each.

I definitely plan to make the sandies--they were soooo good at the get-together! I'm going to leave out the maple, tho. Instead of the plain isolate, is it okay to use vanilla? I don't want to have to buy it special.

Karen: I know you said there's a difference between Whey Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Powder but I forgot the difference. Will it make a difference with the baking? Also if I have the Atkins Bake Mix, can I use it instead of Whey Protein Isolate or was it the Soy Protein Isolate.

I was sooo out of it after all the dessert indulgence on Monday's LC Dessert class, everything just went out of my brain. Of course, I did make up a batch of the LC Bailey's as soon as I got in the door. YUM

Thanks Karen, I just whipped up a batch of the sandies, using soy protein isolate-didn't have any whey, and they turned out beautifully. Have to get more almond flour and then make a double batch for Christmas. Would you mind if I played with the flavoring a bit - maybe some orange extract and rind.
The sandies remind me of my Gramma's shortbread.

One quick question though what is roasted almond butter...Is it the same as almond paste? do you make your own or where can you get it???

It's roasted almonds ground to a paste, just like peanut butter.You should be able to find it in a natural foods store with the jarred peanut butter. Check for other nut butters like macadamia and hazelnut too.